teachers - what would you like as an end or year present please?

[mckenzie]

I remember reading a thread this time last year about this but my searches have proved fruitless.

About 7 or 8 of us mums will be clubbing together. Last year we bought M&S vouchers and a bunch of flowers.

What would you most like to receive from your pupils and their parents?

TIA

As I keep saying its not the saying thank you and showing appreciation that I find uncomfortable, but the apparent need to spend so much money on presents. We should be teaching our children to show their gratitude in personal, meaningful ways not perpetuating a materialistic attitude that contributes in very real ways to youth crime.

I had thought a card from DS with a genuinely appreciative not from dp and I...and possibly (if I am organised enough) a shareable treat for the staff room.

I don't think it could be a faux pas, though that said it would be difficult if your class was doing a whip round. It may just be that only 10% or so of parents ever give a present, but then they would be the main type to post on a thread with this title?

Blu, a thank you is really all it takes.

I've chosen to give those who teach my kids (and also the catering staff) some nice biscuits to have with their tea in the last week of term.

Not materialistic, a nice biscuit to help the last week a little nice to deal with.

Pheebe, actually I don't think that teaching children to express gratitude to their teachers (whether by gift or not) is the root of youth crime. No statistical evidence to back this up, but I don't think that much youth crime is carried out in order to give teachers presents.

Appreciate your viewpoint though - it is good for children to not to expect ridiculour excess for birthdays or Christmas. An extra piece of fruit is sufficient.

Yes, ahead of their all too short 6 week holiday!!

I really am not anti-teachers, they do a fantastic job but so do nurses, care workers etc who really are underpaid and over-worked. I am against this attitude that teachers are somehow ultra-special, over-worked and underprivleliged. I work hard too to provide for my family, I'm sure we all do. Seeing them happy, thriving and well cared for is all the thanks I need.

sigh

I really hoped that this thread would get to its end without someone having a dig at us about the holidays*.

Knew it wouldn't last.

I don't have a care-worker, but on the two occasions I've been in hospital I've left a tin of biscuits for the ward-staff? My binmen get beer at Christmas (though I'm going to struggle this year as I seem to have 3 separate collections now - regular, recycable and food). And if I've done a good job then I usually get taken out for dinner. Thank you would be sufficient in all of those situations, but sometimes it is nice to be extravagent in appreciation.

Have to say that in these early years I do find that the bottle of wine is the easy otion - getting the dcs to do the homemade card etc is much much harder .

I did the little handbag sized bottles of champers/prosecco plus a nice card last year.

"not perpetuating a materialistic attitude that contributes in very real ways to youth crime"

It is my hunch that the causal link between parents giving small thank-you gifts to teachers and the increasing incidence of youth crime is, at most, a very tenuous one.

I'm with Eidsvold..if they've made a difference or helped my child.. i thank them and tell them so.

If they haven't.....i don't.

lol issy

"if they've made a difference or helped my child.. i thank them and tell them so"

Don't all teachers make a difference? I appreciate that some may do more than others, but can't see how a primary teacher can't but make a difference. I certainly hope that I don't find one.

Thank you Cod. I rather enjoyed the 'Give a box of fudge to your Yr 1 teacher, end up bashing a granny to feed your coke habit' premise.

Blimey. People seem to spend so much! DD is in Reception, teachers, helpers, nursery nurses etc. so I was thinking bag of Lush bathbombs to share - that would be OK wouldn't it? Bottle of champagne each would never have occurred to me!!

Bottle of red please

Sigh, dd's teacher is a methodist so that rules out the wine then!

I usually do Lush bathbombs....

Second thoughts - thanks to Pheebe and Ladymuck - will save cash and send DD out to steal something from Asda. Will also be entertaining to see what she chooses, no?

lush bathbombs - ummm, can you get those on line? Who stocks them?

Um. Lush....

Que?

Bit rude I think.....

It's a shop. They make smelly stuff.

I'm not using 'lush' as an adjective